English Detective Noir

Before the Thin Man: The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett’s “The Thin Man” is a prequel, set in 1928, to the original work based on The Thin Man characters created by Dashiell Hammett in 1933. His book was published in 1934 and soon afterward made into the hit movie of the same name starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. The movie was so popular five more movies starring the same lead actors were made in the following thirteen years. The final movie, Song of the Thin Man, was released August 28, 1947. This story shows who Nick and Nora are, where they came from, ...

It's not every afternoon that an enigmatic, comely blonde named Stilton (like the cheese) walks into the scruffy gin joint where Sammy "Two Toes" Tiffin tends bar. It's love at first sight, but before Sammy can make his move, an air force general named Remy arrives with some urgent business. 'Cause when you need something done, Sammy is the guy to go to; he's got the connections on the street.

When the grandmother of a student blamed for a deadly school shooting hires attorney Etch Danielson to clear her deceased grandson’s name, Danielson and legendary Texas lawman Red Roper open an investigation into the killings. The facts they uncover force them to conclude things are not as they appear and that responsibility for the tragedy lies on the person the community has deemed a hero. Sufficient Certainty is a cautionary tale about the rush to judgment, an indictment of a system that turns a blind eye to sexual harassment and racism, and a reminder that justice, even if it is ...

This collection by crime fiction master Raymond Chandler features four long stories in which private eye Philip Marlowe is hired to protect a rich old guy from a gold digger, runs afoul of crooked politicos, gets a line on some stolen jewels with a reward attached, and stumbles across a murder victim who may have been an extortionist.

When you’re in trouble, you call 911. When cops are in trouble, they call Nick Ryan. Every cop in the city knows his name, but no one says it out loud. In fact, they don’t talk about him at all. He doesn’t wear a uniform, but he is the most powerful cop in New York. Nick Ryan can find a criminal who’s vanished. Or he can make a key witness disappear. He has cars, safe houses, money, and weapons hidden all over the city.

Detective Kjeld Nygaard wants nothing more than to forget his family and Varsund, the small mining town he once called home, even exist. But while on suspension after his last case went disastrously wrong, his estranged father, Stenar, leaves a message on Kjeld’s phone claiming he’s seen a murder. But with no evidence and Stenar suffering from Alzheimer’s, the local police think he must have imagined it.

A Felix Nightwhisker Mystery – A charmingly gritty feline noir series packed with sharp claws, sharper wit, and shadowy secrets. Step into the whiskered world of Felix Nightwhisker, a hard-boiled feline detective with a knack for uncovering secrets others would rather keep buried. Set in the moody streets of Whisker City, where alley cats barter in whispers and the scent of treachery lingers behind every fish market and fencepost, Felix prowls the night to solve the cases no one else dares touch. Each mystery delivers a tightly-woven tale of suspense, unexpected humor, and unforgettable ...

When private investigator Detective Sebastian Clifford is asked by his former society girlfriend to locate her fiancé—who’s disappeared along with some valuable pieces of art—he’s reluctant to help. He’s left the aristocratic world behind, and for good reason. But when his ex starts receiving threatening letters, Clifford is left with no choice. When he enlists the help of his partner Lucinda Bird, aka Birdie, they start digging and find themselves drawn into London’s underworld.

When Detective Kim Stone is called to a local business, what she sees leaves her speechless. The photo on the driving license bears little resemblance to the man laid out before her, and she knows she’s up against the most twisted killer she has ever encountered. But as she breaks the devastating news to the victim’s wife, Diane Phipps, Kim can’t help feeling that something isn’t quite right about the woman’s reaction.

A Noir Mystery Collection by the Mysterious Thomas Temple Step into a world where darkness whispers your name, and reality twists beyond recognition. In Whispered Crimes, Thomas Temple masterfully weaves together noir mystery, psychological horror, and grotesque fiction in a collection of short stories that will leave you haunted. Inspired by the eerie allure of crime fiction and urban mysteries, Temple invites you to embrace the bizarre, the twisted, and the unknown.Prepare for a Literary Experience Like No Other If you're a fan of dark psychological thrillers, urban noir, or the surreal ...

In the seedy depths of Angel City a new kind of scum is taking root. Working girls are going missing and when they show back up again it's bad news. The pervs and freaks seem to be winning but the deal is they never counted on Mel Thompson. Not just any shamus or private dick, Mel has a certain, shall we say, connection to another place down under but it's not Australia. The clock is ticking for Mel to solve the case because the deeper he gets into it, the better the odds that he's going to get his block knocked off, and then it's not just curtains, but a one-way ticket back to Hell for the...

The most exciting Sterling P.I. instalment yet! In this episode, a spouse in denial hires Sterling to overturn her husband's murder conviction - the Crown Prosecution's, "Silver Bullet Case". A dog, a diary and DNA are his only clues in this twisting tale with dark turns. But is Sterling on a wild goose chase or honourably trying to reset the scales of justice? Even he is not sure... Follow Sterling in his latest case. A standalone Film Noir-inspired novella.

The Paintings of Rauma takes the reader to Finland on a thrilling crime adventure. The story is based in the beautiful coastal city of Rauma and takes Jussi, a local Police Officer, on a journey to investigate connected crimes across Finland, Sweden and Singapore. This Nordic Noir mystery begins with a minor incident that sets in motion a chain of events involving theft, murder, passion and hidden treasure. Jussi Alonen is a local Police Officer whose life is turned upside down when someone from the past comes back into his life. A gang of criminals make their way around Finland, wreaking ...

"A rocket ride of action, political intrigue, and suspense."—San Diego Magazine "A sharp thriller. Russell has us in the palm of his hand."—Chicago Tribune "Ingeniously imagined and skillfully told, Political Suicide must be included in any list of this year's best thrillers."—San Diego Union-Tribune Will Travis is an undercover corporate investigator whose job involves low-key assignments like checking out the service at Washington, DC, hotel bars and reporting back to management. But his evening takes an unexpected turn when he interrupts an attempted murder. Soon, Will is on the ...

In a land scarred by war and haunted by its own dark secrets, betrayal and bloodshed rule the night. Across a shattered American landscape—from the electric pulse of New York to the rusted alleys of Detroit and the wind-battered streets of Chicago—the boundaries between hero and villain have long since blurred. In these cities on the edge, a ragtag band of pulp heroes, relentless detectives, tenacious private investigators, and uncompromising vigilantes collide with a ruthless underworld of mobsters, deranged serial killers, and wildly unpredictable madmen. When a series of brutal ...

North Yorkshire, England. Detective Chief Inspector Harry Grimm is reluctantly easing into life in the dales. As he gradually acclimatizes to the slower pace of the countryside while he awaits a return to the city, he’s called out to inspect a farmer’s crushed body. And despite the doctor on site declaring it a tragic mishap, the seasoned police officer rolls up his sleeves when evidence points to foul play. With a mysterious clue the only connection and the not-so-quiet village in self-imposed lockdown, the city-bred cop hunts for a link lethal enough to lead to murder.

A detective ensnared. A deadly trap. A race against time. When DC Simmons' father asks him to help a newly bereaved widow, the young cop senses trouble and turns to DI Joe Hogarth for assistance. Hogarth can't decline, but he'll soon wish he had, as they find themselves caught in a trap they must escape before the weekend ends—or be implicated in the gravest of crimes. Social media entrepreneur Grant Dawn goes missing on a Friday night. His classic car spins out of control into a cold marshland river. He's almost certainly dead, his alcoholic wife is in despair, and their business is on ...

A mysterious suicide. A detective under pressure. A deadly investigation. DI Joe Hogarth planned to spend the weekend saving his superior, but when he's called to investigate Dina Corbett's death, everything changes. Locked alone inside her holiday park caravan, Dina died from a single gunshot wound to the head. A gun is found by her hand, but no suicide note is in sight. ★★★★★ “Fast paced - difficult to put down!” Suicide seems obvious, but nagging doubts lead Hogarth to suspect murder. With no evidence of foul play and every witness having a solid alibi, Hogarth can't let go...

A small boy and a young girl make a contract to kill. A school girl and her young brother arrive at private detective Jack Hamma's office. They scatter coins over Jacks desk, the contents of their piggy bank, and ask Jack to shoot dead two men. They want to save a forest and take revenge for the murder of their parents. Murder, revenge and retribution combine with Jacks wry humor to make this a great read. ‘The same fast paced action we've come to expect from a Jack Hamma story.’ ‘Flows well as we travel with Jack across the world, from the wilds of Yorkshire to the depths of the ...

Inspector Hogarth is in deep trouble. The two men who once sought his blood now aim to eliminate each other. Only Hogarth stands between them. To stop them, he must plunge into deadly danger—and to protect his colleagues, he must do it alone. With the town teetering on the edge of a gang war, Hogarth faces a harrowing truth: he has become the catalyst for a new crimewave. He will fight on, alone. He will attempt to conceal the truth. But DS Palmer won’t stand idly by. Nor will the other woman in his life… The trouble is, their intervention might make things far, far worse… Against ...